It’s been a heck of a long time. Eighteen months, to be precise. For everyone who loves Musical Theatre. And this was no more so evident than seconds into the opening number of Disco Inferno; the aptly placed Celebration/A Night to Remember. The smiles on the faces of Birmingham Youth Theatre showed exuberance at being on stage, plus that bit extra on returning. For most, this was the first time in a theatre since before Covid hurled itself onto an unsuspecting world and I admit, there were tears in my eyes to be finally witnessing theatre once more.
As a lover of both Amateur and Youth Theatre, Disco Inferno was a joy to watch from start to finish. What is even more remarkable was the short time and opportunities needed to put this show together. From Zoom rehearsals to dancing in the local Cannon Hill Park, it exemplifies what being on stage means, and the desire to create a show.
Set in 1976, Disco Inferno tells the story of aspiring singer, Jack, played excellently by Charlie Bland, and his deal with the Devil’s right hand, Lady Marmalade – the equally outstanding Maddison Clarke. The fallout of this arrangement is Jack’s relationship with Jane of whom Ruby Blount also excelled with a strong performance.
I must admit, I was a little sceptical at first regarding the musical subject matter as 70s disco fills me with horror, being more a rock fan. However, Disco Inferno wasn’t just limited to one genre. We had a smattering of Bowie (Starman) and The Sweet (Ballroom Blitz) which I totally approved of. And generally, Elton John (Crocodile Rock, Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word and Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting) is liked by all. The music was treated with respect and the kick it deserved under the guidance of Musical Director, Chris Corcoran.
Sometimes in theatre you witness a simply magic moment, and I was fortunate on this occasion to do so. Enter Lily-May Nicholls as Kathy giving a rendition of Street Life, only to be confronted by the demon of Am-Dram, dodgy microphones. This one cut out through the entire song, but I was happy to be in Row B where I could hear the excellent vocals. But it’s such a shame when something happens to ruin the moment. Therefore, forward to Act Two where Lily-May was given the opportunity of a second run of the song and boy did she smash it. So brave to do so, as I know from experience when something has gone wrong, it plays on your mind that the next time could go equally as bad. Not so this time. Fantastic.
As well as those already mentioned, we had tremendous principal performances from Harrison Doherty (Tom), Mollie Ewins (Maggie), Josh Mills (Heathcliffe), Florence Slade (Terry), Joe Logan (Lily), Lola Harper (Nicky Diablo) and finally, Cameron Simpson (Duke) who stoked the fires of Hell with a bit of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Fire.
In addition to those mentioned above and choreographed by the aforementioned Joe Logan, were six specialist dancers: Bethany Gilbert, Liv Jefferson, Ellie Cosgrove, Matilda Ventham, Anna Simpson and Wiktoria Matysiak. These performed exceptionally considering the shorter amount of practice they must have had during the run up to the show. But they were not alone. An ensemble too big to mention must have made director, Mark Shaun Walsh proud indeed.
It’s great to experience Musical Theatre again and even more so witnessing the talent of the future. And one of the youngest also caught my eye. Little Marni Carroll seemed to be active and in character every time she was on stage. Something I like to instil into my own casts. Always an interaction, expression or reaction. Tremendous.
So, well done Birmingham Youth Theatre for coming back with a bang. An inferno of music and dance for all to see.
Cheers.
Antony N Britt
Antony N Britt - Author 